Electric water heater



July 17, 1934. l. PARGMAN ELECTRIC WATER HEATER Filed Feb. 9, 1932 Isaac PHRGM INVENTOR WIT :55:

ATTORN EY Patented July 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFF/ICE scum.

This invention relates to electric heaters and more particularly it has reference to electric water heaters adapted to be attached to a faucet and in which the water is heated as it flows I through the heater.

The present water heater is an improvement on that shown, described and claimed in my copending application Sr. No. 549,978, flled'July 10, 1931, now Patent 1,952,774.

The present invention is particularly concerned with means for regulating the amount of current passing through the device, which means comprises a spaced series of insulators adapted to be moved to various positions between the electrodes of the device to vary the effective areas of the electrodes and thereby vary the cross-sectional areas of the water flowing between pairs of electrodes, the insulators and the electrodes being preferably in the form of discs and the insulators preferably being adapted to be moved in a group and by means of a single control. A calibrated scale is preferably provided in order to indicate the amount of current flowing through the heater.

The invention will be fully and comprehensively understood from a consideration of the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawing which forms part of the application with the understanding,

however, that the improvement is capable of extended application and is not conflned to the exact showing of the drawing nor to the precise construction described and, therefore, such changes and modifications may be made therefrom as do not affect the spirit of the invention nor exceed the scope thereof as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing: Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away, of

my improved .water heater; and

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, and shows the device attached to a faucet.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, the numeral 5 indicates a faucet to which the cup 6 of the heater is secured so that water may flow from the faucet through the cup and into a tube 7 which is within the casing 8 of the heater. 'ihe water flows from the tube '1 through apertures 9 and between electrodes 11 and 12, the current flowing through the water between these electrodes and thereby heating the water, the heated water flowing from the casing through the outlet 15. Electrodes 16 and 1'7 are provided for the electrodes 11 and 12,

respectively, it being understood that any number of electrodes may be used.

In order to vary the cross-sectional areas of the water flowing between the electrodes I provide insulating discs 18 whichmay be moved to vari- O. ous positions between the mentioned electrodes, said insulating discs each having a thickness equal to the space between the electrodes.

The mentioned electrodes are adapted to be moved in a group and to that end are fixedly 66 mounted on a shaft 20 which may be turned by means of a knob 21 disposed at the top of the casing 8. By turning the knob the insulators may be turned so as to be entirely aside or out from between the electrodes 11 and 12 or they may be partly or entirely between the same. It will be noted that the sets of electrodes of opposite polarity are rigidly mounted and that the insulators are swingable into the intervening spaces between the same. The heating action of the 76 electrodes can thus be controlled by the positioning of the insulators as desired, since their positions between the electrodes will determine the effective heating area of the latter by reason of excluding water from the space between the elec- B0 trodes occupied by the insulators.

On the upper surface of the knob 21, as shown in Fig. 1, I provide a calibrated scale which by reference to a line 22 on top of the casing 8, may be read in order to determine the current running 5 through the heater.

What is claimed is:

g 1. An electric water heater comprising a container having an inlet and an outlet, stationary electrodes of opposite polaritybetween which water is adapted to pass when flowing thru said container and swingable insulators adapted to be moved in and out as a group between faces of and in contact with said electrodes to vary the effective electrode area, and means outside said container for so moving said insulators.

2. An electric water heater comprising a container having an inlet and an outlet, stationary electrodes of opposite polarity between which water is adapted to pass when flowing thru said 1 0 container and swingable insulators adapted to be moved in and out as a group between and in contact with said electrodes to vary the effective electrode area and to clean said electrodes, and means outside said container for so moving said 05 insulators.

ISAAC PARGMAN. 

